…3… Hearth and Home

When Nyx began to talk, Noctis was ready for him to shut up. The only thing stopping him from putting his hands over his ears and screaming was the fact that Nyx would only pry them away and continue.
So, he sat on the couch in the Glaive's tiny apartment, hugged himself tightly, and listened.

That last battle, before you left, before our world ended, wasn't right. It made no sense, the things the Empire was doing. Beasts and Daemons everywhere, Glaive being torn apart. Those are normal. But they dropped the Diamond Weapon, then turned and ran. They claimed it wasn't running, but it still didn't feel right. I wish I could've figured it out sooner, Highness. I wish I could've been smart enough to do the math, to add it up. I wish I could have told you that night, before your father sent you away, but I just… I couldn't figure it out. And then, you were gone.
The day it all went to hell, I woke up with this knot in my stomach. It hurt like hell, but I'd had them before... so I ignored it for a while. And maybe that's where I went wrong, but nothing had been simple for the last few days before that. The captain had been on my ass, Libertus was going through his turmoil and I couldn't just leave him to it. We found out that the Glaive were being shunted aside for the talks of peace with the Nifs, like we'd never done a damn bit of good in all of our service. Gods, we were so angry, so bitter and hurt. Well, some of us. There were some that didn't seem to care that everything was being taken away from us. Our dignity, our pride, our reason. It was being ripped from our hands.
And then... then they found Crowe.
Her death had put life into a bit of perspective. We Kingsglaive weren't invincible. Sure, I'd seen others die, but... Crowe. Gods be damned, I never thought it'd be her. And if Libertus was a wreck before, losing Crowe sent him off the edge. I knew he was taking too many pain pills, but who was I to tell someone how to deal?
Crowe had been sent to get the Princess to Altissia to meet you. So when Lady Lunafreya showed up alone, with the Emperor and the Chancellor, that knot grew. I should have known.
I should have known.
Noct, I swear to the Six that I did everything that I could. The Captain was missing, so I took command when I found out she was gone. Lady Lunafreya. If it wasn't for Crowe, I never would have found her. But... that was the point. To draw us away. I left my post at the Citadel. I went straight to your father because I knew he'd understand. I knew he'd want what was best for her, and he told me to find her. I took what Glaive I could muster, and I led them out of the city. Away from the ceremony.
Away from your father.
Members of the Glaive had become disenfranchised by the peace treaty, feeling that the King was betraying all we stood for, all we'd fought for. The younger members, mostly. Ones who still had standing homes in the areas of Lucis that had been taken. I can only imagine the things they'd convinced themselves that set them against their oaths to Lucis. They were killing each other. Can you imagine that? Glaive murdering Glaive. I couldn't do anything, couldn't stop them. I had to protect her. She was my responsibility. Lady Lunafreya had to come first. And... she saved my ass more than once in the process. She's pretty incredible. Dove out of a crashing ship. For someone with no magic, she seems to believe she can do whatever she wants.
She told me, "Not all miracles come from magic," as if that was supposed to convince me of her ability to make me follow her. But if I hadn't, she wouldn't have made it, Oracle or not. All I could think was that I have to save her for you. I had to save her for the whole of the world. As hell bent as she was to reach your father, I had to make sure she got there.
Highness… your father. In the end, he loved you. More than anything, he loved you. He understood what he'd done, how he'd betrayed so many just to save your life. I think he knew it was going to go down that way. I think he knew that this peace was never going to happen. I think… I think he stopped being a king where you were concerned, and just wanted to be your dad. I'm ashamed to admit it, but… I got pissed at him. Over you. I didn't understand, didn't know. He begged me to see her get out, begged me to protect her, and to understand that he did what he did for the love of his son, his only son and heir.
I was there… I had to watch. I had to watch General Glauca, no… Captain Drautos… murder your father. The Captain, my mentor, my friend, murdered the King. I didn't know it was him at the time. But if I had, I would have torn down that barrier his Majesty put up between him and us. I would have broken through with my bare hands to kill the bastard myself.
In the end, though… in the end, after everything… she got out. I know she did, Libertus wouldn't let me down. And maybe he got out with her, I don't know. But my gut told me that she got out. She's free out there somewhere, probably looking for you just as hard as I know you're looking for her. And I have to find a way to get you back, so you can find her, save her.

Noctis was staring at his hands, which were clenched into hard fists. As he had talked, Nyx had shifted to sit beside him, their shoulders touching. Carefully, Nyx reached over and put his hand over one of those fists. It shook, but slowly loosened.
"She is out there," the Prince said softly. "I've heard from her. The book. And Umbra. I know she's alive. She made it out thanks to you."
Nyx smiled a little, rubbing his thumb against Noctis's hand.
"Libertus saw her out," he said. "I was preoccupied with other matters."
"What do you mean?"
Nyx sighed, withdrawing his hand. He got up and started pacing. Noctis looked concerned.
"Nyx… what is it?"
The Glaive shook his head, moving to sit down again. "Nothing. I don't want to add to what you're going through right now. I'll tell you the rest another time."
Noctis looked ready to argue when it suddenly hit him, like a hard blow to the stomach. Nyx had seen his father die. Nyx knew his father was dead. Nyx verified that Regis was gone. His breath caught in his throat, his lungs feeling full of stones. Hot tears welled up in his eyes, cascading down his cheeks before he could get his hands up to wipe them away.
"Oh… oh n-no…" he gasped, fighting to breathe. "D… dad… no… no no…"
It hurt; each breath, each heartbeat, it hurt so much in so many ways, he didn't know where to start. He stared at his hands, clenching tighter until he could feel the hot blood seeping around his fingernails. It hadn't really meant much when Cor had told him, because Cor hadn't been there, but Nyx had. Nyx had seen it with his own eyes, and there was no way he'd lie about it.
Nyx shifted to kneel in front of Noctis, prying his hands open and pressing soft cloths into them. He remained silent as Noctis shed his tears.
"Dad… I'm so sorry…" the Prince groaned, squeezing his eyes closed. "I'm sorry…"
Frowning, Nyx reached up to grip Noct's face gently in his still-gloved hands. He ran his thumbs over smooth cheekbones, wiping tears away. Noctis leaned into the affectionate touch, drawing in a shaky breath. Bright blue eyes, made brighter by the tears still forming in them, opened on Nyx, and the Glaive felt his own breath catch. He'd only ever seen Noctis cry once before, for a much different reason. But these tears, the sadness and grief and despair they carried turned his eyes to icy diamonds.
Without thinking, he pressed forward, crushing his lips into Noctis's. The Prince made a small sound, his hands coming up to grip Nyx's wrists, unmindful of the blood he was smearing on his gloves. Fingers clenched as Noctis pushed to deepen the kiss. He felt like it had been years since he'd felt Nyx this close to him. And for Nyx, it HAD been years.
The kiss broke and Nyx moved, lifting Noctis into his arms as he sat back on the couch. He cradled the prince to his chest, soothing fingers running over his hair. Noctis curled into Nyx's arms, crying quietly, holding his jacket in trembling hands. Nyx held him long after the tears had passed, once the shaking in Noctis had fallen away to a few tremors and a case of the sniffles. The hands had let go of his jacket and lay limply on the prince's chest.
"Nyx…"
"Not now, Noctis."
Noctis sighed, falling silent again. Nyx seemed to have read his mind, so he put the question away for later. Not that he had much choice, anyway. Nyx was definitely a brick wall when he wanted to be. So, they sat in silence, Nyx's fingers still playing through his hair slowly relaxing him into a light doze, his breathing regulating and becoming soft. Sleep eventually took him completely.
Carefully, Nyx got up and carried Noctis into his small bedroom, laying him gently in the bed. Making him comfortable, Nyx returned to the couch, stretching out. He kicked off his boots, letting them fall onto the carpeted floor carelessly. He crossed his ankles, looking up at the ceiling as he peeled off his gloves. With a soft sigh, he lifted his left hand, staring at the burn scar around the ring finger, spreading like a web down the palm and over the knuckles, down the backside of his hand. Scowling, he dropped it down onto his stomach, out of his line of sight.
Noctis would need time, he knew that. There was so much to take in, so much information to process. He'd be out of sorts for a while, and Nyx wasn't sure how he was going to help him. But he'd try, and that was all he could do.